Entering Tuesday, the Phillies had made 10 errors in their last seven games. They had made that many in the 24 games before that. Wigginton, while at third for Polanco, was responsible for four of the recent miscues. Fontenot had replaced Freddy Galvis, whose best strength was fielding.
"We've been blessed for about the last five or six years where our defense has always been real good," Manuel said. "People have always taken it for granted."
Polanco's return will help. The third baseman's sprained left wrist was injected with cortisone Friday and examined Monday. Phillies head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan said the exact injury is a small tear in the central portion of the triangular fibrocartilage complex.
Polanco said he does not think the injury will linger.
"The doctor said the shot should take care of it," Polanco said.
It's not just Wigginton who has played shoddy defense. Fontenot cost the Phillies three runs with bad plays Saturday. He has spent the majority of his seven-year career at second base, but Manuel moved him.
"He had a bad game the other day," Manuel said. "They tell me he's a lot better than that. But I saw Martinez at second, and I liked him at second."
Ruiz still trails
Carlos Ruiz has passed Brian McCann in all-star voting for National League catchers, but the Phillies backstop still ranks third with about 500,000 votes to overcome.
San Francisco's Buster Posey is the new leader with 1,713,839 votes. He tops St. Louis' Yadier Molina, who has 1,576,199 votes. Ruiz is third with 1,191,194 votes.
In-stadium balloting will conclude June 22 and online voting will continue until June 28. The rosters will be announced July 1.
Ruiz has cooled recently after a scorching start. Entering Tuesday, he did not have an extra-base hit in his last eight games and is hitting 4 for 26 (.154) during that stretch. He still leads all NL catchers in batting average (.347) and slugging percentage (.555) and ranks second in on-base percentage (.434).
Even if Ruiz is not voted to start by the fans, it's likely he will make his first all-star appearance as a reserve.
Extra bases
Seeking a second opinion on his fractured back, Galvis saw Peter Moley, a lower-back specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Moley and the Phillies' doctors will confer later in the week, but the rookie will likely miss months of action. . . . Jim Thome served as designated hitter for the fourth straight game. He did not rule out action at first base after interleague play, but it's still unlikely. "It's something we'll sit down and talk about," Thome said. . . . The Phillies played in Minnesota for the first time since 2004. Detroit has the longest gap - nine years - between Phillies appearances.
